Description
Situated on the South Wales coast, midway between Cardiff and Swansea, with sand dunes to the east and west, and hills and valleys to the north, Porthcawl and its surrounding area contains evidence of Stone Age, Bronze Age and Roman settlements.
The village of Nottage is believed to date from the period of the Saxons, and Newton was established during Norman times; whereas the part that is now recognised as the centre of Porthcawl began to take shape in the early part of the nineteenth century, to serve as a port from which coal and ore could be exported.
With the decline of the docks in the 1890s and early 1900s, the town increasingly became a fashionable seaside resort for the wealthy. As the decades of the twentieth century progressed the town drew many of its summer visitors from the industrial valleys of South Wales. Its fine beaches and many other attractions remain as popular as ever.
